The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
by FoxRocks
Summary: A kind rancher named Link leads an ordinary life, until his village is attacked and the world around him is engulfed by a new evil threat. This story is an adaptation of the Nintendo GameCube/Wii video game masterpiece of the same name. All rights go to Nintendo; please enjoy!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A/N: This is my first full-length adaptation of a video game, so I expect writing it will not be easy (especially since the game is so lengthy). All rights to the scenario, characters, script, and everything else belongs to Nintendo, not me. I am writing this as a follow-up to my story 'The Origin of the Twilight Princess', and it is for entertainment purposes only. Also, while most of the dialogue/plot from the game is included, some revisions will be made (ex: some words changed or deleted scenes). With all that being said, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" Rusl asked the young man that sat beside him.

Rusl had a head of blonde hair (held up by a white band below it), turquoise eyes, a distinct mustache, and a long, pointed face. He wore green, brown, and white clothing, and sandals for walking. He was close friends with the young man next to him; the young man he had watched grow up, and had trained him in the ways of the sword.

The young man's name was Link, a seventeen-year-old rancher. Link's eyes were a beautiful blue color, and his clothes were fairly similar to Rusl's. Link's hair was a dirty blonde color, slightly darker than Rusl's. Though Rusl was a few years older than Link, they treated each other as equals.

The two sat on the dirt-caked ground beside the river, the water kissing the ground on and off next to the men. Dusk in Ordon Village was beautiful, and Link and Rusl enjoyed the view. They would sometimes talk here with each other, after sword practices or other work. Staring into the glistening water, Rusl continued.

"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs… the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight…"

Rusl paused for a moment, now turning his head to face Link.

"But enough talk of sadness. I have a favor to ask of you, Link."

Now Link turned his head to look at Rusl, their eyes connecting, away from the water. Link listened intently for what came next.

"I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow," Rusl elaborated. "It was a task set for me by the mayor, but… would you go in my stead?"

Link began thinking about this, when Rusl asked, "You have… never been to Hyrule, right?"

"That's right, sir," Link confirmed.

Rusl went on, "In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village… and far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created. You should look upon it all with your own eyes."

Rusl stood up from the ground, and changed the topic again.

"It is getting late… We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter."

Link got up after Rusl spoke, and the two walked over to Link's horse, Epona. Epona was a large, brown horse, gorgeous in her noble appearance. Her mane and tail hair was white, and her saddle was attached to her back for Link to ride her.

For now, he just walked her back to his house, so he could be alongside Rusl. They traveled back to their village, a small, peaceful town not far from the river. It may not be large, but Ordon was an ideal place to live in tranquility and normality.

Eventually, after walking through the forest areas, Link and Rusl made their way back to Link's house. A small sign that indicated it was Link's property was planted into the ground, near the tree-like house. Link turned around to see Rusl's son, Colin, waiting for his father.

After saying goodbye to each other, Link watched Rusl walk over to Colin, to take his son back to their house for the night. As they walked away, Colin turned around to smile at Link, his round blue eyes shining. Colin had always admired Link, and aspired to be like him when he grew up.

Link smiled back at Colin, and tied up Epona next to the sign for the night. After Rusl and Colin left, Link climbed up the ladder that led to his door. He made his way into his house and into bed, resting himself for a new day tomorrow.


	2. A Day in Ordon

**Chapter 1: A Day in Ordon**

"Hey, wake up, Link! It's morning already!" A youthful cry came from outside Link's house.

Link was already dressed, however, having awoken a few minutes ago. The children in Ordon liked to be around Link, since he was not quite an adult, but still acted like one. Hearing the child's cry, whose name was Talo, Link left his house to find the children waiting outside.

"Guess what, Link? They're selling a slingshot at the store right now! A SLINGSHOT!" Talo enlightened him.

"Really? Sounds interesting," Link said in an apathetic voice.

Talo wore blue and white, and also had shaggy brown hair. His voice was high, the type expected from such a juvenile boy. Then another child spoke, this one short and infantile in his appearance.

"I wonder how powerful it is… I need it… I must try it…"

Malo, the brother of Talo, may be extremely young (at five years old), but was even smarter than most kids his age. He wore orange-brown, green, and white from the bottom up. He was exceptionally stout, and had hair only on the back of his head.

Then, another child spoke, "Talo, if you and Malo want it so badly, just buy it at my parents' shop!"

This child was Beth, about the same age as Talo; she showed more maturity than the two boys. She had light blue eyes, purplish clothing, and wild brown hair. She always had quite the liking for Link…

Talo replied to her, "Do you see any Rupees in my hand? I can't afford that thing; c'mon Beth, can't you just loan it to us for a while?"

Beth retorted, "You know I'd get in trouble for that! If you two want it, save up your allowances or something!"

To that, Malo mumbled, "But… our allowances are terrible… Aw, I wish I had been born into a family with a slingshot instead of one with a waterwheel…"

Link stealthily slipped away from the bickering kids, making his way into the main section of the village. The town consisted of several wooden houses, a body of water for fishing, some trees, and other manmade objects (such as the waterwheel). Also, there was a small pumpkin patch near where Jaggle, Talo and Malo's father, stood.

Being a Good Samaritan, Link helped many people out around Ordon. Today he helped retrieve a baby cradle (which was for Colin's mother's upcoming baby; in thanks, she gave Link a fishing rod, which Colin had been making for him), return Sera's (Beth's mother) cat, and in his spare time, he collected some rupees to buy the slingshot from Sera at her shop.

Once he had completed those miscellaneous activities, Link returned to his house. He found the kids still talking, and Rusl coming his way. Rusl stopped when he saw Link.

"Just in time, Link!" Rusl declared, "I just delivered something to your room. Ah, I see you got the fishing rod; Colin will be pleased. And it works better than you would think, right? Well, have a good one."

With that, Rusl walked off back to his house. Ilia, another girl in the village, was petting Epona. Her eyes were green, her hair dirty blonde, and she wore a white shirt with bright brown pants. She was always quiet and mysterious, but seemed to love animals. She was also the daughter of the town's mayor, Bo. Talo saw Link's slingshot, and ran over to him, with Malo and Beth after him.

"Link has a slingshot! Whoa!" cried Talo.

"Wow! You had enough money to buy it, Link?" asked Beth.

"Yup; watch this!" Link replied, and he shot a few seeds he had collected into the trees with his slingshot.

"Wow! You really are amazing, Link!" Talo said in awe.

"Ha! It's nothing, really," Link said.

Beth suddenly remembered Rusl. "By the way, Link, were you expecting Colin's dad to bring something by here? 'Cause he did."

"Oh ya! What was that, anyway?" Talo wondered.

"I command you to tell us," Malo added.

Link scurried back into his house to find out what Rusl had left behind. Much to his surprise, Link found a wooden sword on his bed! It wasn't much, but still a usable weapon! When Link returned outside, Beth's eyes lit up when she saw the sword. By now, the other girl, Ilia, had left…

"Ooh, my! Isn't that a wooden sword, Link?" Beth asked.

"Whoa… She's right!" Talo exclaimed. "Hey, can I see it for a second? Seriously, lately these monkeys have been coming out of the woods and playing tricks on us! We want to get them back GOOD!"

Just then, a gray-haired monkey came into view from one of the forest's paths. When Talo spotted it, the monkey scrambled away from them.

"C'MERE, YOU!" Talo hollered, running after the monkey. The other kids followed him as well.

Link figured he should follow suit to make sure Talo stayed out of trouble. Link ran after him, and soon found the other children who had stayed behind and let Talo wander off by himself.

"He went that way!" They pointed up ahead on the trail.

Link continued to run after Talo, going through many different areas in the large forest. Eventually, Link found a shack and a young, short man sitting on a rock beside the fire. Link approached the man, who wore strange clothing and had red hair.

"Hey, an Ordonian! Hey, guy!"

"Hello," Link said, returning the man's funny smile.

The man went on, "Listen, I'm not sure you should be wandering around those woods without a lantern. Just because it's daylight doesn't mean it's safe! There are a ton of caves and dank spots around here that get pretty dark, even in the middle of the day. Here; take this!"

The man handed Link a lantern; nothing fancy, but certainly helpful for dark areas. While Link examined the gift, the man talked again.

"See, I sell lantern oil here. I'm trying to drum up sales by giving away free lanterns! It's a business tactic. As long as you've got oil to fuel your lantern, you can light your way and set fire to some stuff. They're the best! Come see me again anytime if you need a refill on oil!"

"Thank you," Link said to the man, and went off to continue his search for Talo.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link spotted Talo's play wooden sword! Talo had carried that around with him wherever he walked… The fake wooden sword lay at the entrance of a dark cave. Using his lantern, Link navigated through the short tunnel, eventually finding the exit.

Once Link was out of there, he found himself in a different area of Faron Woods. Here there were even more trees and a few hills as well. He continued his trek through here, which included fending off some vicious bats with his wooden sword.

After walking for a few more minutes, Link finally found Talo in a large area surrounded by huge trees. Talo was trapped in a wooden cage, guarded by a Bokoblin! Bokoblins were stout, purple ugly creatures that lurked in the wilds of Faron Woods, armed with a small wooden club. Typically, Ordonians didn't have to worry about them, since they stayed away from them. Link approached the creature cautiously, so that the Bokoblin wouldn't see him.

In an opportune moment, Link wacked the Bokoblin to the ground with his wooden sword; the impact of the hit sent the Bokoblin into unconsciousness. Talo was shaking in fear inside the small wooden cage; the monkey from earlier was trapped with him! Link used his wooden sword to break open the cage, releasing a cheerful Talo and monkey.

"Thank you, Link! You saved us!" Talo rejoiced.

"It's no problem. Please be more careful next time, though," Link warned the boy.

* * *

By the time Link and Talo made their way back to a safe area, dusk had arrived again. Talo hung his head in shame, embarrassed he had got himself caught by a Bokoblin.

"If you hadn't come, Link, that monkey and I probably would've gotten eaten! She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey… she tried to protect me, so we ended up getting captured together," Talo explained.

"It's been quite a day for you…" Link said.

"You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you?" Talo suddenly asked.

"He told me it's too dangerous in the forest, and he told me to never come out here… please don't tell him!" Talo requested.

With that, he ran off ahead of Link. And in another direction, Link heard his name being called. Startled, Link realized it was just Rusl, who approached him as Talo made his way back to the village.

"My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned; I came as soon as I heard!" Rusl told Link.

"Well… I managed to find him and bring him back," Link said.

"I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you," Rusl replied, before changing the topic. "Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel uneasy about what may lie in wait… Anyway, Link; tomorrow is the big day! You will be departing for Hyrule! I think it is a good thing I have given this task to you…"

"Yes, sir; it will be quite an adventure!" Link agreed.

Rusl chuckled, and said, "That's the spirit! Good luck to you; and return safely! If you are lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda! Haha!"

Once again, Link and Rusl walked back to Link's house, to end what had been a long day for Link. At least he had been able to rescue Talo and the monkey; and fortunately, they were not hurt either. It was getting dark outside now, and Link needed to rest again after the long day.

Link also knew it would be an arduous trip to Hyrule, so he would need a good night's rest before the journey. He also had his usual ranching to take care of in the morning, on the other side of Ordon Village. Exhausted from the day's events, Link quickly drifted off to sleep when he had returned to his bed.


	3. Ambush

**Chapter 2: Ambush**

Link arrived early at the ranch the next morning, prepared to herd the goats as usual. The ranch was a small but attractive field for the goats to roam around in. The sky was especially beautiful today, and the temperature couldn't be better. It seemed like a perfect day…

"Hey, Link!" Fado, the owner of the ranch, greeted his worker.

Fado was large and muscular in his build, with short brown hair and wearing typical Ordonian clothes. He was in charge of the ranch and its goats, which sometimes escaped the ranch. It was Link's job to get them back into the barn area.

"So, almost time for you to get going, huh?" Fado acknowledged Link's upcoming journey.

"Yes, Mr. Fado! I will be leaving fairly soon," Link confirmed.

"In that case, how about we finish up early today?" Fado suggested.

"Ok; I'll get Epona!" Link agreed.

A special type of grass that grew in Hyrule could be used as a whistle, one that Link used to call Epona. Since he usually left her at his house overnight, the grass was helpful to quickly summon her. After whistling into the grass, sure enough, Epona jumped over the fence entrance and rushed over to Link's side.

Link mounted his horse, and began chasing after the goats. It wasn't long before he cornered all twenty of them into the barn, since he was so used to performing the task. Epona was always enough to scare the goats into any direction Link chose!

"Wow! That was much faster than usual!" Fado commented when Link was finished. "How about you head over to the mayor's place now, before you're too late!"

"Will do, Mr. Fado; have a good day!" said Link.

Fado waved goodbye as Link rode Epona back into the village. When he was out of the ranch, Link saw Mayor Bo and Ilia ahead of him. Ilia ran to Epona while Bo hung behind.

Bo was a very large man, with a huge round belly and thick arms and legs. His head was bald, and his facial features were small. He wore mostly white, with some red and brown colors on his bulky belt.

"Done herdin' for the day, eh Link?" Bo asked Link.

"Yes sir!" Link made it certain, before hopping off his horse.

Bo nodded, and informed Link, "The royal gift Rusl told you about is all set, so you should get ready for your trip to Hyrule Castle. Now, the royal family requested this gift specifically, so it's very special. It'd be bad if the representative of Ordon were to be late for such for an occasion, right lad?"

Link nodded in agreement, while Ilia cooed to Epona, "The path before you is a long one, my sweet horse, but please bear Link safely along it… Wait, what's this?!"

When they heard her voice rise, Link and Bo turned around to face Ilia, who was now seemingly angry. She turned around to face the men, her hand rested on Epona's front leg.

"She's injured, isn't she?! Link, how could you! You were pushing Epona too hard again! I'll bet you hurt her leg jumping fences, didn't you!"

Bo put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, trying to clam her, "Now, now, Ilia! There's no need to get so angry with him…"

"FATHER!" Ilia cut him off. "How can you be so easy on him; you're the MAYOR! You should start acting like one!"

Link and Bo hung their heads, unsure of what to say next. Meanwhile, Ilia spoke to Epona again, taking her away from the men.

"It'll be all right Epona. I'll take you to the forest spring right now! Once we soothe you in the spirit's spring, you'll feel better in no time!"

Bo tried to stop his daughter when he saw her taking Epona away. "Wait! Ilia!"

But it was too late; Ilia was already on her way to the spring. Bo sighed, and turned back to face Link.

"Why, without Epona… the gift will never get delivered in time! Oh, this won't do…" Bo said.

"What's a father to do? There's no way you'll be able to deliver the gift without Epona…"

Before Bo could say anything else, a warning shout from Fado sounded: "A GOAT GOT LOOSE! IT'S HEADIN' FOR TOWN, SOMEONE STOP IT!"

Link spun around to find one of the goats running at full speed toward him! When the wild goat and Link collided, Link managed to push the goat to the ground, which ended the abrupt rampage. This had not been the first time an incident like this occurred…

"Well…" Bo spoke again, "You'd better get goin' and figure out what you're gonna do about Epona. Maybe you can go up to where Ilia is and see if she'll give the horse back."

"I'll try my best sir!" Link said, and ran off to find Ilia and his horse.

When Link had come by his house, he saw Colin and the other kids waiting for him. Link approached Colin, who looked gloomy at the moment.

"…Link, are you going to see Ilia?"

Link nodded, and Colin went on, "Maybe it's just me… but Talo and Malo don't normally let people through… Do you think we could see Ilia together?"

Talo and Malo stood at the entrance to the trail that led to Ilia. Link ran over to them, and Talo began to talk quickly again.

"Hey, Link, we've been waiting for you! Yesterday was so much fun, chasing that monkey and everything! I was just telling Malo here about how we wanted to show it to him, but we let it go instead!"

Before Link could say anything, Talo spotted Colin, and crossed his arms, saying, "Way to spoil everything by telling your dad. Nice job, Colin."

Malo put in, "Yeah, thanks a lot! We got scolded by our dad something awful. I thought it was never gonna end…"

Talo spoke to Colin again, "I bet you're trying to see Ilia, aren't you? Well, there's no way I'm gonna let you pass!"

"What if I let you borrow my wooden sword?" Link politely asked Talo.

"YESSSS! I mean, sure thing, Link!" Talo said, greedily grabbing the sword from Link's hands.

With that, Talo and Malo ran off to play with the weapon. Once they were gone, Colin talked to Link again.

"Thanks, Link. Those guys are always teasing me… What's so fun about swinging something like that around, anyway? I hate it… But when I grow up, I'm gonna be just like you, Link! I don't want to learn about swords, but could you teach me how to ride a horse sometime?"

"Sure, Colin; maybe someday soon," Link smiled.

"Awesome! Here; let's go see Ilia!" Colin said, and ran ahead of Link.

At a slower pace, Link followed Colin into the woods to find the spring. Ilia sometimes took Epona there to let the horse relax; though Link didn't usually mind, he needed Epona for his journey to Castle Town. Once he arrived, Link noticed Ilia had shut the gate leading into the spring, with Colin and Epona next to her. It was the spring that Link and Rusl spent time together at. Ilia immediately noticed Link.

"If you've come for Epona, you can forget it! Think about what you've done; I won't open the gate!" Ilia yelled.

Colin whispered to Link through the gate so that Ilia couldn't hear, "Go through the tunnel in the woods; I'll tell her about you rescuing Talo and the monkey, ok?"

Link nodded, and ran over to the nearby tunnel that Colin spoke of. Even though it was quite small, it was the only way to get into the spring when the gate was closed. Because it was so small, Link had to crawl through the tunnel on his knees, ultimately finding the spring. He heard Colin and Ilia talking.

"I had no idea; I hadn't heard everything about Talo's capture…" Ilia's voice said. "But Colin…"

Just then, Epona, Ilia, and Colin noticed Link had entered the spring. Ilia pet Epona gently; the horse stared at Link. Ilia sighed, taking her bright green eyes off the stallion.

"So you still prefer your master over me, Epona?" Ilia said. Now she turned to Link, managing a smile as she talked, "Don't worry about your horse. It looks like the injury isn't too serious, fortunately! You two can go on together. But Link… please promise me on your journey, you won't try to do anything out of your league. Just come home safely."

Link smiled back at her. "Don't worry; I will."

All of a sudden, the gate to the spring broke into several pieces, flying in all directions. Link, Colin, and Ilia gasped, instinctively backing up; a giant boar, which was a Bullbo, came rushing at them, with two Bulblin warriors on top of it! Bulblins were short, ugly dark green creatures with red eyes and horns that wore dark clothing.

One of the Bulblins used an arrow to shoot Ilia in the leg. Before Link could do anything, the other Bulbin clubbed him over the head. Also, Colin had been knocked out as well.

Then, a very large Bulbin (simply known as the King Bulblin) rode into the scene, on top of an even bigger Bullbo. The large king looked around to make sure the area was secured by his men, and then blew into a horn to create an unsettling noise. As a result, a dark portal opened up in the clouds above them.

* * *

When Link woke up a few minutes later, he realized Ilia and Colin had been taken away, and that the sky was ominously dark! Panicked, he sprang up from the spring's water and began making his way through the forest. When Link crossed the wooden bridge, he found an extremely unearthly wall of black and yellow blocking his path. It had strange markings all over it. Link did not have much of a chance to think about it before a long, gray hand grabbed him by the neck and pulled him through the wall!

Link came face to face with the creature on the other side of the wall. The Shadow Beast was blackish gray, and wore an odd mask. Suddenly, the birthmark on Link's hand began to glow brightly, and the creature (temporarily blinded by the light) threw Link aside. Link had always had that unique birthmark on his hand, which was of three triangles connected together, one on top, and two on the bottom.

When Link fell to the ground, he realized that Faron Woods looked very different; an unfamiliar darkness had consumed all of it! Astounded, Link now began to feel pain, surging through his entire body as his hand glowed faster and faster. His muscles were aching terribly, and his heart was racing abnormally fast! Link could not take the pain much longer, scared of what foreign curse this was. And in a single, sudden moment, he screamed as his entire body transformed into a dark gray wolf!

Before Link could comprehend what had just happened, he collapsed to the ground from the hurt and exhaustion of his transformation. The glowing on Link's hand ceased once he was unconscious, and the Shadow Beast came over to take him away.

As Link was being dragged away by the beast, little did either of them know, a small imp nearby had been watching the entire scene…

* * *

**A/N: What did you think of the chapter? Please leave reviews! As I mentioned on my profile page, it will be a long time before this novelization is completed, so patience is appreciated while I work on it. During the timespan of my work on this story, I will also upload revamped versions of my first two FanFics, 'Star Fox: A New Dimension' and 'Star Fox: Return of the Lylat Wars', as well as other new oneshots. Please stay tuned for more, and thanks again for reading! :)**


	4. Meeting the Princess

**Chapter 3: Meeting the Princess**

When Link finally awoke, he found himself in a precarious situation. Metal bars blocked an escape ahead of him, and the brick walls around him didn't look like a way out either. He felt so much different in this new body…

Link also realized his wrist was shackled by a chain, built into the ground. When he looked into the reflection of the chain, he did not see his former human self, but rather the dreadful beast he had been transformed into. His fur was silver and black; his eyes still a blue color. Suddenly, he heard a peculiar laughing noise from within his cell.

When he turned around, Link found a most odd figure: a short imp, hovering above the ground. She wore a strange, gray headdress, and her skin was a blend of black and white splotches. She also bared bright green, glowing markings on her arms and pointed ears.

One of her eyes was concealed behind the headdress, while the other, which was a yellow and red color, widened upon seeing Link. The imp then smiled widely at him, revealing jagged teeth. Suddenly, she jumped on the other side of the cell, and said in a most inimitable voice, "I found you!"

Link just growled, nervous about what the imp would do next.

"Oooh, aren't you scary?" she mocked, crossing her arms. "Are you sure you want to be doing that, snarling and glaring at me?"

Link waited for the imp to continue, and when she did, she said, "Well that's too bad! I was planning on helping you… if you were nice, of course."

Help? Link didn't have a reason to trust the creature, but what other choice did he have? He definitely needed help, after the strange turn of events following the ambush. Link stopped growling, and paid close attention to the imp.

"Much better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you? But you aren't a human anymore, are you? You're a beast! Hee hee!" she teased.

Angry, Link attempted to bite her hand, but she simply hopped further back, giving another strange laugh.

"Be a good boy and calm down; no need to bite!" she said.

Suddenly, she conjured a small ball of energy, and sent it at the chain around Link's wrist; the chain snapped apart, giving Link freedom of his leg again!

"So… I bet you're wondering where we are exactly?" the imp asked Link.

With some strange ability, the imp teleported herself out of the cell past the bars. When she was on the other side of the cell, she smiled and spoke again.

"Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here by yourself, maybe I'll tell you!"

Link took in the small surroundings of his cell, trying to figure out how he could get out. At first glance, it didn't look like there way any way. Then, he noticed a small crate on the left side of the cell. He also noticed that one of the cell's bars, which was next to the crate, was crooked near the bottom. Link broke the crate by ramming into it, and found a hole that led to the other side! Quickly he dug through it, arriving on the outside of the cell.

Suddenly, the imp jumped on top of his back without warning, laughing again. He tossed his body around, trying to shake her off, but she remained.

"I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" she mock-congratulated him. Then, in a softer voice, she said, "Listen, I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here."

Before Link could even think about it, she quickly added, "But in exchange for my help, you have to do EXACTLY as I say!"

Knowing he didn't have another option, Link barked to acknowledge he agreed.

"So, then, let's get moving!" she declared, raising her unusual voice.

So they began their trek through the sewer. It was repetitive and long, but Link knew he had to find a way out of here. He couldn't just give up, especially not in a place like this!

The dungeon was dark and dank, with river systems around them, and a dull, gray color eminent everywhere. It was a fairly complicated maze of a place, but with some help from the imp, Link was able to navigate through fairly well. A couple times he had to strangle some annoying bats that attacked him.

While he was traveling through the sewer, Link thought about Ilia, Colin, and the rest of the Ordonians. He yearned to be back in peace with them, not scampering through this foreign place. For now, Link could only hope everyone else had been safe after the ambush…

It took about an hour or so to get through the murky sewer area, none of it enjoyable. Link was slightly more motivated by the time they reached a different area, where a broken staircase was at. There were a few gaps, but it looked possible for him to get up with the imp's help.

"I guess I have to do everything," the imp sighed, when Link showed he could not make it through the large gaps alone.

Swiftly, she used her teleporting abilities once again to move them past the gap areas. Link found himself near the top, with most of the broken staircase below him now. He looked at the imp, who smiled and laughed again.

"Shall we continue?" she asked jokingly.

Link dashed up the last few stairs, eventually finding a new area on top. There was a cage-like ground, and a window above a locked door ahead of them. Since the door was sealed, the imp again helped Link get to the window, and they finally reached the outside of the dungeon.

"Well, here we are at last! Isn't the sky beautiful today?" the imp joked, gesturing at the ugly, pale-orange sky.

There was a large set of structures put together, and it appeared to be a castle. It was grand in its appearance, but also dismal thanks to the grim twilight sky. Link was beginning to think about where he was…

"Do you know where this is? STILL don't know? Haha; there's someone I want to introduce you to, but I'll need you to go to that tower to do it!" the imp explained.

Link obediently began to make his way across the rooftops, observing the tower on the opposite side of the window. Giant shadow birds, called Kargaroks, chased Link while he ran. He had to fight off a couple of them, but simply outran the rest. Once Link arrived at a wooden plank, Link's partner took him across to another nearby rooftop, now near the tower she had spoken of. Link walked across this roof and climbed into the opening of the tower when he arrived.

* * *

Link and his partner looked up the little staircase to find a half-open door up ahead. The imp smiled, expectant of who they were going to meet. Link walked through the door's opening, finding a small room and a robed figure inside.

There was a small bed on one side, and a few other decorations scattered around. The robed figure gazed out the window, watching the twilight sky. Link growled in anticipation, while the imp gave out a small chuckle. Instantly, the figure turned around, as if recognizing the voice. Link became quiet, and approached the young cloaked woman.

"…Midna?" the robed woman asked the imp to make sure she wasn't imagining this.

"Eee hee! You remembered my name? What an honor for me!" Midna returned.

The woman looked down at Link, and realized, "So, this is the one for whom you were searching…"

"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess he'll do," Midna replied.

The woman observed the chain around Link's wrist. "You were imprisoned?"

Link looked at the chain near his paw to confirm her statement.

"I'm sorry," the woman said gently.

Midna then said, "Poor thing, he has no clue where this is or what's happened… so, you don't think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much… Twilight Princess! Hee hee!"

Link could tell Midna had mocked her at the end with the title. The woman went silent for a moment, before turning to her company again.

"Listen carefully," she said, "this was once the land where the power of the goddesses was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule."

Link then realized that this had to be Hyrule Castle. This was where he was supposed to deliver the sword…

The woman continued, "But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight. It has since been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light."

The woman reminisced the depressing day, looking through the window once again. She explained to Link, "Those monsters invaded our land ruthlessly, easily conquering our own forces. I only had the choice to surrender or die, given to me by that wicked king… so I had to lay my sword down to him. Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits; within the twilight, they live on, unaware they have passed into spirit forms…"

Facing Link and Midna again, the woman said, "The kingdom has succumbed to the twilight, but I remain its princess…"

The woman pulled off her hood, finally revealing her face. She had beautiful brown hair, a small decorated crown, and delicate facial features. Her face was just as depressed as it had been when it was concealed by the hood of the cloak.

"I am Zelda," announced the princess to Link.

"You don't have to look so sad," Midna said, in a softer and kinder voice than usual. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, perpetual twilight isn't really that bad, is it?"

Zelda replied, "Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?"

Midna jumped up from Link's back, hovering in the air for a moment. As Zelda waited for a response, Midna answered cryptically, "Why indeed? You tell me."

Zelda decided to accept the ambiguous answer for now, before telling the two, "Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here, now…"

Link obeyed the princess, carrying Midna on his back again as he ran out the door. Zelda returned to look out the window again, softly whispering when they were gone, "And I pray to the goddesses you will be successful…"

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the wait on this chapter; I haven't found much time to write it. There might be times while I'm writing this where I'll upload two chapters in a day, and other times when the story is not being updated for a long time (depending on the circumstances). Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to writing more! **


	5. Return to Ordon Village

**Chapter 4: Return to Ordon Village**

Link and Midna quickly escaped back to the rooftop of the castle before they could be caught by any guards. Rain was pouring, and the sky was the same ugly orange color. Once they were out of the tower, Midna turned back to face Link on the rooftop.

"I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into twilight," Midna said.

Then, she added, "But… are you sure you should go back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything important?"

Just then, with some freakish power, Midna turned herself into a screaming Colin and Ilia. Link was taken aback by the ominous power, simultaneously remembering he needed to rescue them. Midna chuckled as she returned to her former self after the brief transformation.

"Eee hee! Do you want to save them? Well, in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you!" Midna said, before continuing, "But you'd have to be my servant… and like a servant, you'd have to do exactly as I say! Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought! Eee hee hee!"

Suddenly, Link felt his body being teleported by Midna's powers, ascending into the sky as tiny black shapes. Midna followed suit, and the two left Hyrule Castle as the rain pounded on…

* * *

Link appeared back in the Ordon spring, where he had been attacked by the Bulblins before turning into a wolf. Nighttime had arrived; the sky was dark and gloomy. He could hear Midna's voice as soon as he landed in the refreshing water.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one more thing…" she told him, "though you may have left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back to your former self, and you won't anytime soon! Now, why could that be?"

Link thought for a moment, before Midna appeared before him after he walked out of the spring water.

She explained, "Listen, there's another thing I forgot to tell you: don't think you can just run off and save your friends, because you can't. Just beyond that bridge, the land is covered in twilight. Last time you were there, a shadow beast pulled you through the curtain of twilight… but if you want to go that way, you'll need someone _from_ the twilight like me! So you really have no choice but to do what I say. Saving your friends and everything, that'll depend on your actions. Anyways, right now, I want a sword and shield that will suit me. So what do you plan to do? As you dawdle here, the twilight continues to expand. Come on, hurry up!"

She turned into a shadow again, invisible, to ride atop Link. Taking a right, Link headed through the wooded area to return to Ordon Village. At his house, Link found a Bulblin guarding it from the outside. Without mercy, Link lunged at him, easily taking out the green soldier. Once that was over, Link ran past his house and into the main section of the village. When he was there, Link could hear Hanch, Beth's father, talking to himself near the waterwheel.

"Oh…. How in the world did it come to this? The children… please let them be all right… please forgive your good-for-nothing father…" he moaned, depressed.

Link then noticed Mayor Bo and Jaggle on the other side of the small town. He could tell they were talking about something. They were next to a small house with lighted torches on each side of it. Quickly, and stealthily, Link sprinted across the town to find out what they were saying.

"…So, that shield is still in your house, right?" Bo asked Jaggle nervously.

"Uh, yeah, it should be in our storage loft," Jaggle replied.

"Good! Go grab it, quick as you can!" Bo instructed. He went on, "Rusl got wounded pretty bad, so he can't go search for the kids. I'll take over for him."

Jaggle, surprised, put in, "But Rusl had a sword, Mayor! And he _still _got hurt! If you're unarmed, you're done for!"

Bo responded, "I'll be fine. The sword we were going to present to the royal family should still be at Rusl's house."

Jaggle understood, and said, "Oh yeah? All right then – I understand, Mayor. I'll hurry up and get that shield; you just wait here…"

Then, they both noticed Link, and gasped in shock. It certainly did feel strange to Link to be feared, now that he was a beast. Especially since technically, both Bo and Jaggle had been friends with him.

"No good! Run!" Bo cried, running off with Jaggle away from the house.

Once they were gone, Midna commented, "That's not a bad bit of information you heard, eh? Ugh… Look at that open window. This village is full of idiots."

After making the crude remark about the house, Midna gestured toward the waterwheel near it.

"We should jump up there… but from where?" she wondered.

Link headed off in the direction of Hanch, since he was on the tall rock near the waterwheel. However, unfortunately, he noticed Link passing by.

"MONSTER!" cried Hanch. "You've returned for more, haven't you?! My… my daughter… return her! And TAKE THIS!"

Hanch blew into the grass whistle below him, summoning a large hawk. Once it had arrived, Hanch sent the creature after Link. Before the hawk could land an attack, Link ran out of the way. Midna stopped him once they were far away, and at a rock near one of the houses.

"Let's go up on the roof from here and scare that guy," she suggested.

Without hesitation, Link was taken onto the rooftops by Midna, where he could sneak up behind Hanch to get him away. Quietly, Link walked across violet roof of the house, eventually making his way behind Hanch. Hanch spun around, startled.

"WHOA!" he cried.

Without further ado, he jumped from the tall rock into the water behind it, a comical splashing sound following. Midna chuckled, while Link remained quiet. With the path cleared, Midna took Link to the waterwheel, and then to the other house's rooftop so that Link could get into it from the open window.

When they entered the house, they could see the wooden shield on the back wall. It had a few simple markings carved into it, but nothing fancy.

"Found it, found it!" Midna announced, helping Link reach the elevated area.

The house was quite unorganized, with miscellaneous objects lying around everywhere. The rugs were out of place, the bed was unmade, and boxes were in strange positions. Once Link was near the shield, he rammed into the wall to knock it from its holding place on a rack. Link picked up the Ordon Shield, and put it on his back.

"It looks… kind of cheap…" Midna remarked. "All right then, next is the sword! Hurry up and get one!"

With that, Link jumped out of the back window near the wall to exit the house. He landed in the river with a splash, soaking his fur. On the other side of town, a different couple was talking with each other.

"What was that sound?!" Rusl wondered, concerned. He was talking with his wife, Uli. His arm was bandaged from the wound he had received in a skirmish with some Bulblins.

"The children could not have returned, could they?" Rusl said. "I must go out and search one last time. You get inside the house. I have placed the sword that was to be our gift to the royal family on the couch. If the mayor comes for it, please give it to him."

"But darling… your injuries!" Uli said, to which Rusl explained he had to go anyway.

Link got out of the water, and scurried over to Rusl's torch-lit house. Not wanting to scare Rusl or Uli, he quietly avoided them. On one side of the house, Link noticed he would be able to dig into the house rather than use the main entrance (where Uli was at).

When he did, Link found the sword on the couch, just as Rusl had said; this house was much more organized, yet smaller, than the last. This sword had been crafted by Rusl, and of course, had been made as a gift to the royal family. Taking the sword, Link felt guilty that it never made its journey to the intended receiver…

"All right; so now you have a sword!" Midna declared happily. "Looks like you can actually be useful when you concentrate! Ok, no more detours; I'm going to take you back into the twilight. Go back to the woods where you first transformed into that shape!"

Link nodded and crawled out of the house. As he rushed back to the woods, he considered it was a shame he wasn't able to enjoy his time in Ordon anymore. Being a beast, no one would recognize him, and he was too busy with many tasks before him.

Soon enough, Link reached the cross-section of the Ordon spring and the bridge. However, before he could proceed to the bridge, he heard a faint voice call out.

"Wait… come… to my spring," it said softly.

When Link ran over to the spring, the voice continued, "You have been… transformed by the power of shadow…"

Suddenly, a shadow beast emerged from a twilight portal above, and crashed to the ground in front of Link. Unlike the last encounter, Link was ready to take the vicious creature on…

Link jumped onto the shadow beast's back, biting at its neck rapidly to weaken it. Before the creature had the chance to attack, Link beat it down to the point where it fell to the ground, defeated. After the shadow beast evaporated into black shapes, the spring area was lit up, and a light spirit in the form of a large Ordon goat appeared.

"O, brave youth," it said, "I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you conquered was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light that I wield. My brethren have already had their light stolen by these beasts. The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of darkness. The blight will not stop with Hyrule; before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight."

Link and Midna tried to take all this in, as Ordona continued to explain, "To save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. The three light spirits who have lost their light must be revived. There is but one who can revive them and redeem this land… you… you still have not discovered your true power. Those transformed by twilight usually cannot recover their original forms. Unless if you were to return to Faron Woods where you have first transformed… if you were to revive the light spirit… there, by the power of the light spirit, you would be able to find the means of regaining your other state of being…"

Following the news, the light spirit slowly faded, eventually gone. Link left the spring and returned to his course, down the bridge and to the twilight wall. When he arrived at the dark wall, Midna talked to him again.

"You know… the Faron Woods that you know so well… it's now covered it twilight. You might not be able to come back here, but… do you still want to go?"

Link nodded, conscious of any risk. He needed to return to his former self, and progress to his next task. Midna floated through the wall with ease, before using her powers to grab Link's body and pull him through the wall.


	6. Tears of Light

**Chapter 5: Tears of Light**

As expected, Faron Woods was now blanketed by twilight. The small black shapes perturbed the sky, and there was nothing beautiful about the area anymore. While Link somberly took in the sight, Midna was playing around with the sword and shield.

"So these are the weapons you use in your world? You really think this thing can slay the creatures of twilight?" Midna asked, waving the sword around carelessly.

Link ignored her, and then she tossed the items back onto him.

"Well, I won't use these, but I'll hang on to them for you," she said.

And then, with her magic, she made the objects disappear. Link wondered where they went, but he assumed she kept them somewhere accessible to herself.

"In exchange for my help, I need you to gather some things for me," Midna explained, with another odd smile.

"Look, I can't tell you all the details right now, but it'll be easy," she said. "But enough about that. Do you hear that noise? It's the lamentation of the spirit that had its light stolen. Where could it be? Hee hee!"

Link's eyes widened, and he looked around for the spirit. Predictably, he didn't find it, despite hearing the strange, sad noise Midna spoke of. While he looked on through the shadow realm, Midna spoke again.

"Better get going, don't you think? Don't blame me for your world's fate if you don't hurry up and find that light! Come on, snap to it!"

Link growled, and began to run on the trail of Faron Woods. It was pitiful to see such a beautiful place engulfed by the twilight; it made Link depressed. Before he could contemplate about it that much, Link soon found himself surrounded by three shadow beasts!

This time, Link was easily able to take out two of the beasts. However, once he did, the third let out an unearthly scream, nearly deafening Link! This summoned the other two to get back up, fully revived.

"What happened?! Ugh… I guess we need to take them all out at once; just follow my lead," Midna said.

Suddenly, she conjured a large circle that covered the three shadow beasts. From there, she gave Link the energy to quickly disable all three of them in rapid succession! Fortunately, the beasts disappeared, allowing Link and Midna to proceed.

In the next small area of the forest, they could see the light spirit glowing in the distance! It was hovering above a lake area, golden it its appearance. Link dashed over to the spirit to talk with it.

"Please… be careful… These woods have changed…" the spirit warned, in a faint and disheartened voice.

The spirit went on, "The dark clouds of dusk cover this land… this drape of shadows is called twilight… In this twilight, those who live in the light become as mere spirits. It is a place where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell… I am a spirit of light…"

Link patiently continued to listen.

"Blue-eyed beast… Look for my light… retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts, and keep it… in this vessel…"

The spirit gave Link the Vessel of Light, a small, unique-looking container for the tears of light. After Midna took the vessel, the spirit continued talking in a small voice.

"In the shadows of twilight… the dark insects are as invisible as normal beings are here. Let me use the last of my power to reveal the locations of the dark insects… that consumed the light…"

When Midna checked Link's map, they realized the locations of the creatures had been marked on it. Link had kept the map with him ever since his earlier days, another gift Rusl had passed down to him.

"Find the insects of darkness…"

Once the spirit finished talking, Link and Midna set out to find the dark insects and regain the tears of light. There was no choice but to complete the task, and it would be the first of many. With that in mind, Link walked at a brisk pace to find the creatures.

The first two were very close by, in a tunnel-like area. The shadow insects were nasty, dark yellow creatures, some with the ability to fly. After Link easily destroyed the first two, he also obtained the first two tears of light. The tears were glowing blue shapes, stored only within the vessel Link used.

After that, Link ran over to the old shack where he had first met the red-haired man that had given him the lantern. When he found no one outside, Link assumed the creatures and the man must be inside the house. With some help from Midna (who also helped him find the insects with the map), Link got through the window of the house to find the red-haired man and two more insects. The man trembled, backed away from the creatures.

"What's with these bugs?! Those things aren't normal! They're so big, and creepy… C'mon, get away bugs… shoo! Get out of here!" the man said, frightened.

Of course, he wasn't able to see Link, since he was a spirit. While he breathed heavily in the corner of his house, Link pounced on the bugs and collected their tears of light. The man, meanwhile, was shocked.

"Wh-WHAT?! They just… died?! Oh boy, I have no idea what's going on around here…" he said, at least relieved the bugs were gone.

Once he exited the house, Link also took out another bug to get another tear of light. With five out of sixteen, Link ran over to the locked fence area past the house. Even though he didn't have a key, Link was able to get around the lock by digging through a hole through the ground next to the fence.

When he was on the other side, Link saw two more shadow insects, and beat them with ease. Already nearly halfway finished, Link was thankful that the task wasn't too difficult. Tedious, but not difficult.

From there, Link ran through the cave he had been in during his quest to save Talo. Once he reached the outside, Link found another two bugs to defeat and collect light from. Since the main body of the forest had a strange, violet fog covering it, Midna helped Link get around it with her magic. He was able to dismantle three more insects along the way.

When he reached the other side of the forest, Link received another four tears of light by thrashing the bugs! It was quite a repetitive task, but Link supposed it would be worth it when it was over. It was quite lucky, though, that the task was not taking long. Only two left to go!

However, as one might expect, they were the most difficult to reach; three shadow beasts again stood in Link's way. With more help from Midna, though, Link was able to conquer the beasts once again, mercilessly pounding all of them to the ground before they disappeared.

Past that, Link also recognized the remaining areas from his jaunt to rescue Talo and the monkey. Link hurried over to the last location, where Talo had been caged with the monkey. And strangely enough, Link found a monkey, now a spirit, cornered by two of the insects! Without problems, Link pounced on the final two shadow insects and saved the monkey.

"Someone… someone helped me?" Link could hear the monkey talking; now that he was a wolf, Link had the special ability to understand other creatures. "Boy, lucky for me! Ever since the boss went funny in the head, there've been scary monsters everywhere. Those village kids got led through the woods for some reason. The whole forest is so weird now; what happened?"

And then, Link collected the two remaining tears of light. A strange noise took place, and Link felt his entire body begin to glow. The next thing he knew, a huge surge of light blinded his vision! And when he opened his eyes again, he was not a beast…


	7. To the first Temple

**Chapter 6: To the first Temple**

When Link opened his eyes again, he found the spirit of light, now revealed in its full form with the twilight gone. The skies were bright and normal again, the environment no longer polluted by dark shapes. Link listened to the light spirit as it talked.

"My name is Faron. I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. By the order of the gods, I protect this forest. In the land covered in twilight, where the people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast… that was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you, and that they are awakening. Look at your awakened form," the spirit said to Link.

Link looked down to find he was wearing dark green clothes! He was also wearing a dark green hat. What strange attire…

"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods," Faron explained. "His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you. Your name is Link; you are the hero chosen by the gods. Brave Link… a dark power rests in the temple deep within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath the shadow, and so there is no choice… you must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths."

With those words, Faron disappeared into light, leaving Link and Midna behind in the lake area. Link examined himself once again, and thought of Faron's words. He now knew that it was his responsibility to save this world from the twilight…

Midna spoke, "Well, well, so you're the chosen hero, huh? That's why you turned into that beast! What a shame… I mean, maybe you'd rather just wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity… right?"

"Nonsense," Link replied. "I must do as the spirit said and complete my tasks."

"So… you want to head to that temple?" Midna asked.

"Of course," Link answered.

"Well, isn't that convenient; I was about to head there myself!" said Midna. "Hey, look, you want to help your friends, right? The way I see it, maybe they're in that temple, waiting for you to rescue them. Well good luck, Mr. Important Hero!"

After a chuckle, Midna disappeared again to follow Link silently. Fortunately she was able to hold all of his equipment for him, such as his fishing rod, lantern, or other items he kept. This excluded his sword and shield, which he carried with him.

Link ran off through the small tunnel area, and tested out the Ordon sword on a malicious Deku-baba, an evil plant-like creature that attacked him from the ground. Link slashed through its mouth with ease, and the creature collapsed to the ground. Once the feeble threat had been cleared, Link ran on to find the red-haired man sitting next to his shack again. Link needed to get past the locked gate to reach the temple.

"Hey, it's the Ordonian!" the man exclaimed happily. "You seemed familiar, but then your clothes seemed kinda different, so I got thrown off for a second! Listen… things have been a little rough around here lately, so you should watch your step, OK, guy?"

"Will do," said Link. Then, he asked, "So why is the gate locked? I needed to get past it."

"There are so many monsters now; I got kinda scared and closed off the path to the temple. But, you want to get back there, huh? You sure do look geared up for it, so here you go!"

The man handed Link a small key, which would unlock the fence.

"Thank you," Link said.

The man went on, "You're definitely going to need your lantern a lot in there, so bring all the oil you can! And I have a special one-time offer for a bottle of lantern oil, only 100 Rupees! What do you say, guy?"

"I'll take it," Link decided, handing the man several Rupees. After all, it couldn't hurt to have spare oil.

"Great bargain, huh? Well good luck, guy!" the red-haired man said.

Link ran back to the locked fence, now able to unlock it with the key. From there, Link walked through the cave once more with his lantern, eventually reaching the deep section of the forest. It was still covered by purple fog, making it impossible for him to navigate through by himself. Suddenly, a monkey snatched Link's lantern and headed near the fog, waving the lantern near the purple mist. This made the strange fog disappear…

"Hey, what's this monkey's problem?!" Midna said, then turning to Link. "You idiot, while you staring off into dreamland, your lantern got stolen!"

But Link noticed the monkey was helping clear the mist, and decided to follow it into the forest. As they walked through the forest, the monkey gradually cleared the fog away with Link's lantern, allowing them to keep going. And before long, they reached the other side; Link smiled, grateful for the monkey's help.

The monkey tossed the now completely used lantern to the ground, and ran off ahead of Link and Midna.

While Midna scowled, Link remarked, "Good thing I bought that extra lantern oil!"

Link walked to the next area, which was filled with much more light than the foggy forest area. He also had to take out another Bokoblin along the way, similar to the creature that had captured Talo and the monkey. There were still a couple more of the ugly, purple creatures ahead.

For the third time now, Link came to the area where Talo and the monkey had been imprisoned. This was where the forest temple was. Two Bokoblins guarded the front entrance, armed with small brown clubs. Link knew they wouldn't be much trouble either.

With a surprise attack, Link stabbed one in the back, sending it to the ground. The other reacted by swinging its club at Link, which missed. Link slashed the other Bokoblin, now able to proceed.

Link noticed there was a large cobweb blocking the main entrance. Link refilled his lantern with the oil he had bought, and burned the web to clear the entrance. Finally, with the other obstacles taken care of, Link entered the forest temple.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter wasn't very long, but the next one will be. I have many other stories planned as well, so patience is appreciated from fans of this story. Thank you for waiting, hope you enjoy!**


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